They reframed music for New Zealand in the 1970s, bringing a sense of wonder and excitement to youth tired of the staid, formulaic tunes that were available to them at the time.
Now trail-blazing rock band SPACE WALTZ bookmark another chapter in their seminal musical chronicle with VICTORY, their second album, a collection of re-recorded hits and brand-new tracks, conjuring up an aural energy to eclipse that of their debut record.
With their unconventional style and rebellious attitude, Space Waltz are simultaneously dropping their new album, new book, and a re-mastered reissue of their debut 1974 Space Waltz: by Alastair Riddell on vinyl and CD, via Universal Music NZ.
Reuniting in 2021, Space Waltz’s VICTORY heralds yet another ground-breaking effort from the original band of Alastair Riddell (vocals and guitar), Eddie Rayner (keyboards), Brent Eccles (drums), Peter Cuddihy (bass), with Greg Clark and Derek Solomon sharing duties on guitar.
Recorded at Neil Finn’s Roundhead Studios and mixed by Eddie Rayner, the 12- track album draws its flavour and style from the band’s collective roots and is propelled by the unique song-writing and vocals of electric frontman Alastair Riddell.
Says Riddell: “I’d been working on new material for this latest Space Waltz album Victory ince 2020. To have the old band, with the addition of two new members, reforming and releasing new material after this many decades is very exciting, and a considerable achievement! It truly is a Victory.”
In 2022, Space Waltz released their first new single, a sweeping slice of rock balladry called ‘Hypnotise Me’, followed by a triumphant sold-out Waiheke Island Jazz Festival performance in April this year with new members, guitarist Derek Solomon and drummer Patrick Kuhtze, adding their flair and showmanship to their live show.
Formed in late 1973, Space Waltz grew out of a synthesis of prog and glam rock, exploding onto the scene a year later after appearing on, and winning, the popular national TV series Studio One/New Faces.
Strutting into the nation’s living rooms and performing their stomping new single ‘Out On The Street’, Space Waltz and their esoteric frontman became an instant hit with the mostly youthful viewers who crashed the phone lines voting them the most popular act on the show - an outcome that perplexed the show’s judges.
Says Riddell: “The judges were mystified and bemused by us, struggling with our androgenous appearance and did not ‘get’ our prog-rock sound. We were simply too radical. The opinion of the viewers and the judges was polarising. The resulting cultural division created a storm in the New Zealand entertainment industry and marked a line in the sand as New Zealand woke up to the controversial 1970’s with its provocative rock music and counter-culture.”
This moment of instant controversy and notoriety set the rock band firmly on a meteoric rise onto the New Zealand music scene. Space Waltz had arrived.
After the band parted ways, its members went on to some of the biggest NZ bands of the 70s and 80s: Eddie Rayner most notably playing with Split Enz, Crowded House and Paul McCartney; Brent Eccles joined The Angels and Citizen Band, Greg Clark playing in Citizen Band; while Alastair continued to record and release his own solo projects.
Head of Otago University’s Performing Arts Programme, Dr Ian Chapman’s (aka Dr Glam) book, Alastair Riddell’s Space Waltz, was commissioned by Bloomsbury Publishers in London as part of their notable ’33 1/3’ series on ‘significant albums’ to chronicle the rise of impact of Space Waltz on New Zealand’s musical scene.
Chapman writes: "To this day Riddell and Space Waltz epitomize the mid-1970's heyday of glam rock in New Zealand. …Riddell's controversial gender-bending image provided a cultural crossroads that greatly impacted the wider youth culture of Aotearoa...They were confronted by a flamboyantly dressed glam-esque rocker who primped, preened, strutted, and posed with a performative style never before seen from a local lad. More akin to the theatrical performance style of Marc Bolan (T Rex) and David Bowie (well before his Ziggy Stardust era), this was a culture-shock moment in the extreme. Truly, things would never be the same.”
Later in 2023, the band will be touring “An Evening with Space Waltz”, four intimate shows comprising songs from both albums (including the iconic ‘Out On The Street’), with the guys relating stories from their extraordinary time in showbiz, and reflecting on their place as a unique cultural touchstone of NZ musical history.
Post a comment